ROCKINGHAM — A former Richmond County sheriff’s deputy is behind bars in the Anson County Jail after being accused of sex crimes.

Dylan Thomas Cox, 22, was arrested last Wednesday and charged with two counts of taking indecent liberties with a child and four counts of statutory rape or sex offense where the defendant is at least six years older than the victim. Online court records show an alternate spelling of his name as Dillon Thomas Cox.

By definition of the statutory rape charge, which is a Class B1 felony, the defendant is accused of engaging in intercourse or a sexual act with a person who is between the ages of 13 and 15.

According to Special Agent Shannon O’Toole with the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation, the sheriff’s office fired Cox after receiving information of the alleged crime.

The sheriff’s office then went to the district attorney’s office, who requested the help of the SBI. State agents got involved on April 2 of this year, he said.

While the date or dates of the accusations are currently unknown, O’Toole confirmed that Cox was a deputy when the alleged incidents took place. He also said that all charges are related to the same alleged victim.

Arrest warrants had not been returned to the Richmond County Clerk of Superior Court’s office and employment records were not available Friday afternoon.

Cox was booked into the Richmond County Jail at 3:46 p.m. on Wednesday and later transferred to the Anson County Jail. O’Toole said the reason given for the transfer was “for his safety,” but there were no other details.

Chief Deputy Mark Gulledge said it is standard procedure to make arrangements for a transfer when an inmate is a former law enforcement officer in the county, for the safety of the individual and for the integrity of the sheriff’s office, which runs the jail.

He was originally held under a $410,000 secured bond, which was reduced to $50,000 on Friday, according to jail records. Cox has a court date scheduled for Oct. 5.

All defendants facing criminal charges are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.

Reach reporter William R. Toler at 910-817-2675 and follow him on Twitter @William_r_Toler.

Cox
https://ansonrecord.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_Dylan-Cox.jpgCox

William Toler

wtoler@civitasmedia.com